Sir David Ronald Holmes CMG CBE MC ED JP (Chinese: 何禮文爵士, 26 December 1913 – 14 June 1981) was a British colonial government official who served in Hong Kong from 1938.

During the riot, he was noted for taking control of the situation as the acting-Colonial Secretary, efficiently took command in the government and adopted a hard-line policy towards the Communists.

[4] However, when then Governor Sir Mark Young surrendered on 25 December, Holmes successfully managed to flee to the mainland China.

[5] After fleeing from Hong Kong, Holmes finally reached Chongqing in early 1942 to unite with the British delegates in China.

Later on, he was ordered to drive (later Sir) John Keswick, the First Secretary of the British Consulate-General Chongqing, and the consulate's attaché, Brigadier Gordon Edward Grimsdale to Shaoguan, Guangdong for a special mission to discuss with General Yu Hanmou, the Chinese Commander-in-Chief of the Seventh War Zone about the feasibility of establishing a British Army Aid Group to resist the Japanese invasion on a joint basis.

[6] Shortly afterwards, Colonel (later Sir) Lindsay Ride, a prisoner of war from a Japanese concentration camp in Hong Kong, successfully made his escape and arrived at Chongqing.

With the help from the guerillas, Holmes had organised a number of rescue plans trying to save the prisoners of war from the Japanese concentration camps and had conducted espionage in the Japanese-occupied region.

According to the recollection of Paui Tsui, Holmes and his companions once secretly entered Hong Kong and reached the foot of Lion Rock.

From the foot of the mountain, he used binoculars to spy the concentration camp far away in To Kwa Wan regardless the potential danger of being discovered by the Japanese.

Tsui explained the reason was because Holmes was not huge physically and with the disguise of wearing bamboo hat and grey linen clothing, he just looked the same as a common Chinese farmer.

In the early postwar years, Holmes continued to serve in the Colonial Secretariat and was the Deputy Clerk of both the Legislative and Executive Councils from 1946 to 1947.

[4] Upon returning to Hong Kong, he rejoined the government and worked in different capacities including the Deputy Secretary for Chinese Affairs.

In July 1951, he became the acting Social Welfare Officer of the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs while the holder of the position, John McDouall was absent.

In October 1955, when he succeeded the retired Harold Giles Richards as the Director of Urban Services, he stepped down from the Resettlement Department but was also appointed official member of the legislative council.

[11] His tenure as the District Commissioner witnessed the end of a long-time discord between the government and the Heung Yee Kuk, the non-governmental advisory body in New Territories formed by the indigenous inhabitants.

[12] In 1962, Holmes was promoted to the post of the Director of Commerce and Industry and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours.

Nevertheless, at the time of his promotion the Cultural Revolution had just broken out in the mainland China and the situation of Hong Kong had become increasingly unstable.

[9] During the disorder, Governor Sir David Trench happened to be absent from Hong Kong and all of a sudden there was no one fully in command of the government.

[9] At the beginning of the riot, there were only general strikes in Hong Kong but the situation worsened quickly when the Communists started to put pipe bombs on the streets.

[16] Under the leadership of Holmes, the government adopted a hard-line policy towards the Communists and called on the general public to denounce the leftists.

Although Holmes retired from the post of the Secretary for Home Affairs and the official members of the two Councils in May 1971, he became the chairman of the Public Service Commission in November 1971 and received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace on 13 July 1973.

[18] At a memorial service in St. John's Cathedral, Holmes was eulogised by Hong Kong Governor Murray MacLehose, Chief Secretary Sir Jack Cater and others.

[19][9] Another memorial service was held in St Paul's, Covent Garden, in London, on 14 July 1981, attended by Lady Holmes.